InsideThere is a beautiful saying in the Thirukkural: “We should never forget a good act that has...

VolumeXV,No.4,November2008

Continued on Page 4

InsideGratefulness by Sri Swami Satchidananda p. 1Letter from the Editor p. 2Who Can Be Your Enemy by Sri Swami Sivananda p. 3 Reflections on Teachers Conference–Part 1 p. 5Amadea Morningstar and Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy p. 6Our Beloved Marien Villaman-Chodl Moves On p. 7Reflections on Teachers Conference–Part 2 p. 8Reflections on Teachers Conference–Part 3 p. 9

Gratitude and Asana by Lakshmi Sutter p. 10Naturopathy and Enlightenment p. 12A New Benefit for IYTA members p. 15Share Your Use of Therapeutic Yoga p. 16Our New Member Coordinator p. 16Upcoming Continuing Education Opportunities p. 17Senior Speakers Schedule p. 18Calendar of Upcoming Programs at Yogaville p. 19

The Essential Teachings of Sri Gurudev Swami Satchidananda

Gratefulnessby Sri Swami Satchidananda

There is a beautiful saying in the Thirukkural: “We should never forget a good act that has been done to us.” At the same time, it talks about the act that we should forget. That is the one that is not so good, the one that might have hurt us. We should forget it immediately. We should not even remember it for the next hour. Then we will not have anybody as an enemy.

Why do we call someone an enemy? Because we remember the harm that might have been done to us. If we forget it, there won’t be any enemy, is it not so? Enemies are created by our remembering what harm has been done to us. We create our enemies by remembering their misdeeds. If we have forgotten that, and if we remember all of the good deeds, even if somebody wants to be our enemy, he cannot because we see him as our friend.

No one is one hundred percent good or one hundred percent bad. People do many good things. Maybe once in a while, because of their lower nature, they might do something bad also. But if we are going to always remember the bad things, we will keep them as our enemies, which is not good. Instead, remember the nice things that they have done; then they will always be our friends.

You Should See That Everything is Thankful to You

On Thanksgiving Day, we thank the Lord for providing us with all our needs. We should be thankful always; but, if we forget, then at least this one day should be kept aside especially for that.

IYTA Newsletter • November 2008 •

The Goal of Integral Yoga

The goal of Integral Yoga, and the birthright of every individual is to realize the spiritual unity behind all the diversities in the entire creation and to live harmoniously as members of one universal family.

This goal is achieved by maintaining our natural condition of a body of optimum health and strength, senses under total control, a mind well-disciplined, clear and calm, an intellect as sharp as a razor, a will as strong and pliable as steel, a heart full of unconditional love and compassion, an ego as pure as a crystal, and a life filled with Supreme Peace and Joy.

Attain this through asanas, pranayama, chanting of Holy Names, self discipline, selfless action, mantra japa, meditation, study and reflection.

Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

Ever yours in Yoga,

Integral Yoga® Teachers AssociationFounder: Sri Swami Satchidananda

The Integral Yoga Teachers Association is a membership association open to all Integral Yoga teachers. Its mission is to provide mutual support and spiritual fellowship, to share information, to provide inspiration, and to conduct ongoing training and guidance.

Director: Lakshmi SutterMembership Coordinator: Andrew GodreauNewsletter Editor: Rev. Prakasha ShaktiGraphic Design: Anand Shiva HervéPhotos: Richard DiMaria, Sraddha Van DykeAssistant: Sushila BalesCopy Editors: Lakshmi Sutter, Arjuna GuttadauroIntegral Yoga Teachers AssociationSatchidananda Ashram–Yogaville108 Yogaville WayBuckingham, VA 23921 USATel: 434.969.3121, ext. 177Fax: 434.969.1303E-mail (Newsletter): [email protected] (Membership): [email protected] (Director): [email protected]: www.iyta.org

Letter From The Editor

Hari Om and loving greetings, divine IYTA members.

I hope your autumn is beautiful—whether or not you have changing leaves!

There are many changes here at the IYTA, and you’ll read more about some of them in this newsletter. Our dear Marien Chodl and her family have moved to Charlottesville, and wonderful Andrew Godreau has taken over her former IYTA position watching over your membership. By the way, be sure to notice Marien as the model in two of the photos with Lakshmi’s asana article! (Satya Greenstone is our Full Forward Bend model for the article.)

Beginning with our February, 2009, newsletter, Arjuna Guttadauro will take over most of the IYTA newsletter work; and I will serve only as supervising editor. You’ll learn more about Arjuna in that newsletter, but I’ll just mention that he and his wife Bhagerati (who’s helping with our school, the Yogaville Vidyalayam) are longtime Integral Yoga Teachers. It’s great to have their spirit and energy here at the Ashram.

Thanksgiving is a major November celebration in the United States, and that is why this issue seemed like a good one

for related articles. Of course, whether or not we celebrate a formal Thanksgiving, every moment is a good time to be thankful. Yes, there are many hardships and challenges in each life; but there is also much for which we can be grateful. The more we focus on gratitude instead of difficulty, the more we find solutions for our problems.

I am thankful for all of you, serving others and taking care of yourselves with the teachings of Integral Yoga.

May you all have many reasons for gratitude in your lives.

OM Shanti Shanti Shanti.

Rev. Prakasha Shakti


This message from Lord Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is so thrilling. It is in his characteristic style of building up to a climax. Prior to that day, it was considered unrighteous to kill any being. But killing is a symptom of something deeper. Killing itself is the grossest manifestation of a feeling that stirs in the heart of people. Lord Jesus wanted to save humanity from this feeling; he suggested, therefore, a sovereign remedy that would at once cure people of the root cause of the dangerous diseases that manifest in murder.

Anger! Anger is the greatest enemy of humanity. It destroys intelligence, and under its sway one degenerates into something worse than a beast. Lord Jesus exhorts us to get rid of this anger. Even to give verbal vent to this undivine emotion is sin. Do not use abusive words toward anyone. All are children of the Father. All are your own brothers and sisters. In everyone the Lords dwells.

Do not call anyone “a fool.” In his divine instruction, Jesus goes still farther than that. The dire enemy of anger should be totally driven out of one’s heart. Not only that; in that heart the opposite----virtue, love---should be installed. How beautifully he puts it. If this is not done, your worship of God, who is ALL-Love, is hypocritical. Therefore, when you approach the altar, if an inimical thought arises in you, better leave the altar. Go to the person with whom you have a misunderstanding or quarrel. Get reconciled. Become friendly with him once again and then worship God.

Try this today. This is not an intellectual doctrine to be simply understood. It is the word of God to be put into practice. Do it now and see for yourself what a great joy and peace you experience in your worship and in your meditation if you have washed away all ill-feelings with the waters of cosmic love.

Who Can Be Your Enemy?By Sri Swami Sivananda

You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.” But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment’; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to the fire of hell. So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

—Matthew V: 21


When your heart is filled with cosmic love, who can be your enemy? Someone else may entertain inimical feelings toward you; but in your heart the feeling of enmity should never arise. To you this person, too, is a brother or sister to be treated with the same love and consideration that you would have for the best of your friends.

“Love your enemies. Bless them that curse you. Do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you.” What a convincing argument he brings in support of this holy commandment. Why should you love your enemies? Not because you are greater than they, but because such is the nature of God in whose image you are made and whose children you and all others are. Is the atheist denied God’s blessings? The very life breath that the atheist uses in denying the very existence of God is provided by God.

Hatred ceases not by hatred; hatred ceases by love. Love conquers hatred and enmity. Righteousness conquers unrighteousness eventually. Love transforms the heart. There is no better way of winning over any enemy and of transforming an evil-minded person than to love him or her and to let that person see in your own daily actions the glory of righteous living.

Your Very Nature

Love and righteousness should become part of your very nature. They should not be feigned nor artificial. Therefore, when Lord Jesus commanded that we should not resist evil, he alluded to his own instruction that love should become your very nature. It requires extraordinary faith in God, realization of God’s omnipotence, understanding of the power of love, and supreme moral courage not to resist evil but to follow the instruction: “Whosever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

By thus not resisting the evil and by demonstrating such love even in the face of evil, you are arousing the latent moral conscience in the evil-minded person. If you had adopted the policy of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” the moral conscience in the other person would be completely buried under the evil example you placed before him. But, when someone smites you and, instead of getting it back “in the same coin,” he or she experiences your love and the righteous way you reacted, that person is bound to be profoundly influenced by your example.

The law courts in this world could as well be closed down and people enabled to live in peace and amity if people would all practice this rule.

-from Life and Teachings of Lord Jesus by Sri Swami Sivananda

All of the nicest things that we have come from God. God has provided us with everything. Even our bodies, our intelligence. The earth on which we live. The plants, the seeds, the food, the fruit. God has given us everything.

Nature and God are one and the same. Nature is another name for God. So, sometimes if you don’t feel comfortable with the name ”God,” you can say, “Nature provided everything.” We should be thankful to the nature; is it not so? We should be thankful to the Mother Nature, Mother Earth, Mother Sky, Mother Rain, Mother Wind.

Thanksgiving Day is a special day to remember to be thankful always for all the things we have. Not just to God, but to everyone. We always give and take, give and take, give and take; therefore we should be thankful to each other, and to each and everything in Nature—and, ultimately, to that one great power, the one great intelligence that we call God. It’s not possible for us to return in kind all that we get from Nature. How can we fulfill our obligation? It’s impossible. The only way is to remember and to be grateful.

Not only should we be thankful to everything, but everything should be thankful to us also. We should see that all the things are thankful to us by behaving properly, treating them well. We should see that we don’t hurt anyone, we don’t harm anyone, or anything. Let all those beings be thankful to us also. Everything. Even your book, for example. If you throw the book aside, the book won’t thank you. If you take good care of the book, read it gently, and close it gently, see that the covers are well kept, then the book also will be thanking you.

So, let us keep this idea in our lives and see that we always give thanks to others.

from the Golden Present: Daily Inspirational Readings by Sri Swami Satchidananda

Gratefulness (Continued from Page 1)

a

As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake

the world. . .as in being able to remake ourselves.

—-Mahatma Gandhi

a

Who Can Be Your Enemy? (Continued from Page 3)


Reflections on the Annual Integral Yoga Teachers Conference 2008

Part I: Teaching as Spiritual Practice with Swami Asokanandaby Anandi Jennifer Tallman

After a delicious breakfast at Sivananda Hall, Integral Yoga teachers from around the world and around Yogaville gathered together in the Academy’s Samadi room to hear Swami Asokananda talk about teaching as spiritual practice. After an energizing chant, we dove into the program.

All of us strive to give our students our best in each class, and all of us get something out of teaching. It is sometimes difficult to be in the position of teacher while acknowledging that you are still a student yourself. That is why the attitude we bring to our teaching is so important.

Swami Asokananda said that often our students will put us on a pedestal and will then be afraid of being authentically who they are for fear of not measuring up. We, as teachers, can sometimes allow our egos to take over and then happily occupy our pedestals, thinking that because we did not place ourselves there that it is where the universe wants us to be. This places distance between teacher and student, and it leaves us inaccessible to the students. When that happens, we are simply leading students through a series of postures with the substance buried beneath the ego.

Development of a “right attitude” toward teaching can help to alleviate this situation. As teachers, we are not solely in a position of leadership. In fact, when you really break it down to the foundation, we are in a position of service. The Yoga classroom is an opportunity for us to create a safe place for our students to be exactly who they are right there in that moment. We can guide them to experience what it is like to be themselves in their bodies in that space, and we can hope that they take that awareness into the rest of their lives and activities.

I know from my own experience that it is sometimes difficult to avoid turning the Yoga classroom into a stage on which my ego can perform for all to see. It is comforting to hear that awareness of this tendency is part of developing “right attitude.”

Asokanandaji went on to explain that, when we become aware of the spaces in the classroom and in our lives, we can bring ourselves down off the pedestal and be with the students. They can learn from our journey to overcome ego, and we can learn from theirs. In this way we become what we really are, a room full of students and teachers, each on a different path to the same destination.

As if the ego isn’t enough to deal with, we sometimes find ourselves presented with opportunities to confront our

attachments and our judgments. We attach to students and wonder why they don’t come back after one class or after years of classes. We judge our students and ourselves. (I can’t count the number of times my mind sees someone in a unique expression of a simple pose, and my mind either snaps off with. “They’re hopeless!” or “If you were a better teacher, they wouldn’t need adjustment!”)

Our own practice outside of our classroom can be the key to overcoming the obstacles that we confront in developing “right attitude.” The more we meditate, practice Hatha Yoga, and come together with our sangha, the easier it will be to come to our classrooms not to perform, but to serve. These practices will also make it easier to recognize when our minds are taking over, attaching and judging. In awareness, acknowledgement and loving acceptance of these things within ourselves, they will heal and we will be more effective teachers.


Amadea Morningstar held a program at the Integral Yoga Academy on September 19th to 21st on the subject of Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy. I know from my own experience that it is easy to hesitate and not take a course from an unfamiliar teacher even if the course sounds really interesting. However, every participant--those who knew her and those who took the chance--reported that the program exceeded their expectations. Among many favorable comments, the most common was about the extraordinary teaching style with which she blends the material together through lecture, demonstration and experiential application.

Many Yogaville residents as well as guests realized that Amadea was the author of two cookbooks that they had used, heard about or grown up with: The Ayurvedic Cookbook (with Urmila Desai) and Ayurvedic Cooking for Westerners. These are without a doubt the most important books on the subject! In addition to these well-regarded texts, she is the author of a book on nutritional and herbal care for the respiratory system called Breathe Free. Her workshop in Yogaville was based on her most recent writing, The Ayurvedic Guide to Polarity Therapy, an inspiring and unique reference.

Upon leaving the program on Sunday afternoon, every participant reported feeling she or he had been touched in some deep way by the weekend’s experience. The overall feeling was a desire for more information.

So, what is Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy, and how does it relate to teaching Yoga?

Most of us know that Ayurvedic medicine is the ancient healing system of India. It is somewhere in the neighborhood of four thousand years old. It comes from an ancient oral tradition called the Vedas. In the modern world, Ayurvedic practitioners work with food, herbs, spa-type treatments such as hot oil massage, breathing techniques, mantra, Jyotish (Ayurvedic astrology) and gem stones. It is based on the understanding of the elements, the gunas (mental qualities in nature), the doshas (biological energies that create our mind/body constitutions) and how all these things affect the dhatus (tissues).

Polarity therapy, like Yoga, is based on the concept that the physical body is imprinted on the energy body. Energy underlies matter. Though we get interested in asana practice, it is through the intact Yogic system (Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga) that we learn the more complete practices to clear the passageways for prana to flow freely. In Polarity Therapy, lasting change in health comes from the ability to change the energetic patterns through touch, movement, sound, thought and the five senses.

Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy is based on the work of Randolph Stone. Dr. Stone emigrated to the United States from Austria in 1903. He was a student of Sri Swami Vivekananda and, later, Charan Singh. After his discovery of “wireless anatomy” (known in Yoga as the subtle energy body), he worked with the currents and how they might be used for healing. Dr. Stone concluded at one point: “Energy must flow. Sore spots are blocks in the energy currents. The science and skill come into play in finding out where the energy is blocked and in knowing how to release it. When the current is re-established, the pain leaves at once and normal action takes place.”

Part of how Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy supports a freer flow of energy is through ancient Yogic marma points. Dr. David Frawley has stated that an underlying purpose in doing Yoga asanas is also to stimulate these marmani, so energy can move with more freedom.

The workshop was an effective marriage of Ayurveda and Polarity Therapy. Amadea has a masterful way of interfacing these two systems. She does not merely

Amadea Morningstar and Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy by Rev. Manjula Spears

Amadea Morningstar


In some ways it feels like just yesterday when Marien joined the Academy crew as the IYTA Membership Coordinator. In other ways, I can’t imagine how we lived or will get by without her superhuman abilities and genuinely serviceful presence.

Marien and her family (Eric & Morganna) have moved to Charlottesville – a less remote location, where Morganna has greater educational opportunities and the adults have proper career options. We are, of course, excited about the new adventure they are on and also very sad to lose their regular physical presence here at the IYTA.

Marien has been a huge help to the IYTA in so many ways: a quick learning curve, strong customer service skills, and proficient use of technology. Beyond that, she has brought a sense of youth and vitality to the Academy building basement as well as the entire sangha. In her last few weeks, she did a superb job in training her successor, Andrew, to be equally successful in the position.

We know you can take Marien out of Yogaville, but Yogaville will always be a part of who Marien is. (She was almost raised here!). We will miss you dearly, my friend. Thank you on behalf of all of “your” members for your stellar role with us for two years. We are a better organization as a result of your service.

Our Beloved Marien Villaman-Chodl Moves On by Lakshmi Sutter

compare the two systems but skillfully integrates them. She has a vast knowledge of information that relates to nutrition as well as lifestyle that is beneficial for each individual. Anyone who wishes to improve her or his health, increase longevity, vitality and quality of life would find Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy very supportive.

I personally got interested in Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy due to my work with people who are facing life-threatening illnesses. I work in the Regional Hospital in Athens, Georgia, and part of my work as a Yoga educator is with cancer patients. Unfortunately, sometimes these students lose the ability to participate in the Therapeutic Yoga practices. Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy is a perfect way to approach those students who are unable to practice Yoga. Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy is a powerful tool to enhance the services offered by Yoga teachers in both therapeutic and non-therapeutic settings.

I met Amadea in 2006 and was introduced to this hands-on healing technique. In March of 2008, I completed her Four Seasons Ayurvedic Nutrition certification course with Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy in Santa Fe. What I learned from this program is a powerful and valuable addition to what I have to offer as a Yoga educator. I am now qualified to teach the preparation of essential Ayurvedic healing foods and medicinal teas. I am also qualified to offer preliminary nutrition information on balancing each of the three doshas in healthy clients through the seasons. This program has provided me with the training to integrate the two ancient sciences of Yoga and Ayurveda. Through this program I have studied Ayurvedic Polarity Therapy with Amadea and have a technique of balancing the elements and inviting the doshas home. But, to clarify, I am not yet an APP (Associated Polarity Practitioner, 155 hours of training) or an RPP (Registered Polarity Practitioner, 650 hours of training).

To find out more about her programs, visit www.Amadeamorningstar.com.

Marien with her husband, Eric, and daughter, Morganna.


Sunday afternoon the Teachers Conference participants gathered again in Samadhi to hear from Swami Sharadananda about staying connected. I anticipated this talk greatly, because Gurudev always seems to be passing Swami Sharadananda amusing little anecdotes to share in her talks.

She opened with a Hari Om chant, which she asked me to complete for her when a dry throat got the best of her voice. The chant was followed by a story from her experience with Hari Om. Gurudev told Swami Sharadananda that chanting Hari Om would cure a sore throat. So, when she was stricken with a sore throat before a public talk, she spent two solid hours chanting Hari Om, only to have the pain intensify. Miraculously, the pain subsided just before the talk, allowing her to speak without incident. It did, however, return just after the talk to remind her that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

She then shared with us some actual comments that were placed in the suggestion box at the end of a strenuous hiking trail at Bridger Wilderness Park, a 400,000-acre wilderness area that includes the Grand Tetons. They included, “Pave.” “Install chair lifts instead of the hike.” “Relocate the coyotes; they’re too noisy.” “Make the trail less uphill.” Too many bugs.” “Too many rocks.” “Put a Starbucks at the finish.”

When the giggles subsided, she asked the group to compare those suggestions with the complaints we often have about the spiritual path. The path is difficult enough without constructing our own obstacles. It was a thought-provoking moment.

Often we wander in to teach our Yoga classes harried from our own busy lives, disconnected. One suggestion that Swami Sharadananda presented to us was to give the class to Gurudev. It is one that she uses when she teaches. It connects Gurudev to the students through you, uniting all of you. It also relieves the pressure to perform, that you might feel as a teacher.

We can take our connectedness beyond our classrooms and into our everyday lives. Swami Sharadananda stressed the importance of goals, saying, “If you don’t want to go anywhere, you’ll never get there.” She is right. We must define where it is that we want to go, and then act from integrity, defined as wholeness, clear communication, and unwavering belief that we are who Gurudev says we are.

Assumptions and opinions will get in our way. They bring us into duality. They are the chief reason that we meditate. We can all be right or wrong, because in truth, there is no duality.

Swami Sharadananda gave us some suggestions to help us reach our goals, saying, “ Try harder only works if you

are lazy; otherwise, it is a source of guilt. A change in core beliefs, attitudes and desires must take place.”

She tells of a time that she decided to go without asking Gurudev for anything, and remembers how difficult it was to get by. It made her realize just how much she asked of him. Bring awareness to your own life by looking at what you ask for versus what you give.

Swami Sharadananda doesn’t leave us hanging with our busy lives that we just can‘t seem to find time to fit anything else into. She suggests that we combat our tendency to overwork and over-worry by scheduling time to worry and scheduling time to pray. If we must watch the news, she suggests watching 10 minutes at a time with a 5-minute prayer in between segments. It raises the vibrations and it does something productive instead of producing worry. She suggests setting a timer and starting a project for just that amount of time. Little by little things will be completed. We can also ask the Universe, “How can I achieve this?” The key is to be unattached to the steps, the outcome or the ego in asking.

She suggests streamlining life by taking stock of what is really important. Our lives are so complex that there is a lot of garbage to take out during meditation. We can reduce that by doing things consciously, knowing why we are doing what we are doing. Remember that all is divine and see if that remembrance changes how we act and what we choose to focus our attention on.

Finally, she suggested practicing silence regularly. It should be a conscious decision, not simply remaining quiet because there is no one to talk to at the time. It helps make us more conscious of our words, since, like Gurudev said, “ A word is a bird.”

Swami Sharadananda closed with the story of Remus Star.

An amateur genealogical researcher discovered his great uncle Remus Star was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in1889. The only photograph of Remus was taken when he was standing on the gallows just before he was hanged. On the back of the photograph was this inscription:

“Remus Star, horse thief, sent to Montana Territorial Prison in 1883, escaped in 1887, robbed the Montana Flyer 6 times, caught by Pinkerton detectives, convicted and hanged in 1889.” In the family history subsequently written by his descendant, Remus’s picture was cropped and enlarged to show just his head. The accompanying biographical outline reads as follows. “Remus Star was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business empire grew to include the acquisition of

Teachers Conference–Part II: Staying Connected with Swami Sharadananda

by Anandi Jennifer Tallman


The release of toxins is one of the primary reasons that Gurudev was adamant that pranayama not be sacrificed in favor of additional asana practice in a class. He said that pranayama is necessary to cleanse the body of toxins that are released from bodily tissues during the asana portion of class.

Even just Deergha Swasam is very cleansing, in addition to its other many benefits. This simple practice brings up to seven times more oxygen into the lungs, facilitating better oxygen exchange with the blood stream. It increases metabolism, initiates a relaxation response in the brain, and it massages the heart and the veina cava.

From there, we delved into practicing Kapalabhati, Kapalabhati kriya, and Bastrika. Kapalabhati was explained to be the rapid abdominal breathing where the exhalation has force and the inhalation is passive. Kapalabhati kriya, however, is where both the inhalation and exhalation are equally forceful. Bastrika is the forceful expulsion of air, a slightly forceful inhalation with the practice of retention and bandhas.

Swami Karunananda led us in the practice of a few rounds first adding Jaalandhra Bandha, the chin lock. This bandha should always be used with retention, as it keeps the blood pressure from rising. We then added Moola Bandha, the anal lock, Uddhiyana Bandha, and finally the triple lock. At this point, we had essentially put the prana into a pressure cooker, intensifying its effects!

We finished the session with alternate nostril breathing. We started with Nadi Suddhi and added retention and bandhas for Sukha Purvaka.

This took us past the end time for the session, but it was well worth the extra time to have the opportunity to work with these powerful practices. We each received a handout explaining the progression into deeper pranayama practice and how to teach a dynamic pranayama workshop.

I am sure that there will be fewer students packing up their mats early if we take Gurudev’s pranayama guidelines on the road!

Teachers Conference–Part III: Sharing the Breath with Swami Karunananda

by Anandi Jennifer Tallman

The late afternoon conference session on Saturday was spent breathing with Swami Karunananda. She opened by sharing a personal testimony to the power of pranayama. She said that, in the 1970’s, Gurudev told her to do a lot of pranayama. Taking his advice to heart, she practiced according to the instructions Gurudev personally gave her.

In the mid 1980’s, she fell ill with severe respiratory problems. In the midst of this experience, she wondered why she had practiced pranayama all those years. In response to this question, Gurudev replied that, without the pranayama, Swami Karunananda would not have lived to ask the question.

Thanks to her dedicated pranayama practice, Swami Karunananda was present with us to share her knowledge, much of which was imparted to her directly from Gurudev. Before we delved into practice, she cautioned us that the practices are very powerful, and that we should know our teachers and our sources well before trusting them or passing them on to our own students. The books she personally recommends are: Integral Yoga Hatha, Breath of Life: Integral Yoga Pranayama, Science of Breath, Science of Pranayama, The Breathing Book, Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha. All of these are available from Integral Yoga Distribution.

Swami Karunananda started with an explanation of Ujjayi breath. The teaching technique she passed to us was to have the students whisper “ha” and then do so again while exhaling through the nose. She said that they can easily find the glottis at the back of the throat, which must be contracted to properly do this breath, by humming or swallowing and palpating the throat. This breath gives one practice at controlling the speed of the inhalation, which becomes important when one begins to incorporate retention.

Before we moved on to more advanced techniques, Swami Karunananda reminded us that, as with the rest of our Yoga practice, at no time should pranayama cause strain!

Pranayama paired with meditation is food for the soul. It can also cure anything. The technique for healing is to send prana to the area in need of healing with your inhalation, or puraka. Retention, or kumbaka, allows the prana to do its healing work. Then the exhalation, or rechika we release toxins.

valuable equestrian assets and he had closely intimate dealing with the Montana Railroad. Beginning in 1883, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility until, in 1887; he finally took his leave from it to resume profitable dealings with the Montana Railroad. Later, in 1888, he was a key player in vital investigations

conducted by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor, when the platform on which he was standing suddenly collapsed.”

Amazing what a change of perspective can do!


Gratitude and Asana by Lakshmi Sutter, eRYT500

Do you find yourself easily caught up in the details and dramas of your life? Do you find yourself getting a little lost in the questions that affect your livelihood to the point where you forget to thank the Universe for even the small gifts? Do you find yourself focusing on questions like: “Why hasn’t that student returned? She seemed to enjoy class.” “How many more students must pass through the doors this month in order to pay the bills?” “What can I do to ‘entertain’ my students?”

Perhaps remembering gratitude is easy for you. For the rest of us, pondering how we can bring gratitude to the mat and beyond is an interesting topic to ponder.

When I find myself wrapped in this kind of questioning and lose my sense of gratitude, I’ve found a “way out” by looking at what I do have and bringing awareness to that. For example, when I catch myself worried about “worldly” issues, I can be tempted to spiral right into them. I’ve found that – for me —this can be a very unhealthy trend!

When I have the least amount of time, that is the precise time when I find it useful to step back, carve out the time that’s necessary, and remind myself of all the good the Universe has provided. Because my mind can have a hard time accepting the idea to just take complete down time and allow the energy to return, it’s useful to pause and remind myself of all the good of which I am a part – no matter how small that part may be.

I was reminded of the importance of this down time (which I might use to remind this silly mind of our great teachings!) during a recent nutritional consult with Amadea Morningstar, where we chatted briefly about my own (not so unique) emphasis on productivity. She encouraged me to take essential down time regularly to let the energy flow in, for the benefit of All Beings Everywhere.

Upon reflection, this brought up to me the reminder to create time regularly to be grateful for what I have—even in the silliest and most seemingly annoying context. My beloved canine companion, Cayman, for example, woke me at 3:00 a.m. on a recent morning because he needed go outside. I could

have easily gotten flustered at that (and it wouldn’t be the first time); but, instead, I managed to remember gratitude. I thanked him for waking me so that he could maintain his own comfort.

After all, don’t we all seek comfort—isn’t asana supposed to be stirha sukham asanam? If every movement we do is a pose, an asana, as Swami Satchidananda has taught us, then we can strive to be comfortable in every position in which we place our bodies. And if I allow myself that, then I must transfer that ability for comfort to my beloved, because he relies on me to provide for him. I’ve begun a practice of finding a way to give thanks in every position I find myself in —on or off the mat.

This led to the concept of bowing to the inner teacher during my own sadhana each day. And that, in turn, led me to consideri how we approach hinging forward from the hips such as occurs from position 2 to 3 within Surya Namaskaram.

Personally, I approach my Hatha practice primarily with an emphasis on strength – from both a physical and energetic perspective. I find that this strength allows me to identify gratitude more readily. It is in this strength that I can find something to be thankful for during whatever life offers.

One place where many of us could benefit from physical strengthening is the back. So much of life brings us into what is known anatomically as spinal flexion, which you might imagine as the fetal position. Life as we know it encourages this direction of movement:

• We sit for long periods of time each day, weakening our back muscles.

• Many of us stare at a computer screen or, while driving, at the road.

• And sometimes we even get sad.


All of this leads our backs to round, our shoulders to drop and our head to hang. These positions don’t require our back muscles to work, and you know how the saying goes–Use it or lose it! One way to enhance the use of those back muscles in to actively engage, or use, them when we fold forward.

You’ve probably heard lots of interesting ways to verbally encourage your students to lengthen the spine. These might include:

• Lead with the heart as you hinge forward at the hips.

• As you fold forward, lengthen the space between the tailbone and the crown of the head.

• Move the trunk as a single, flat unit as you bow over.

These are all fantastic ways to encourage your students to find length in the spine. Sometimes, though, words aren’t enough…our students just don’t realize that they are rounding the back when they fold forward. I teach at a fitness facility where our room has mirrors on 2 sides. Of course, the Integral Yoga class draws us inward; and it might not be appropriate to turn the awareness to the mirrors mid-class. But sometimes I’ll “workshop” an idea early in the class so the students can see in the mirrors what I can see externally. Students can then see how round they might be in the shoulders and begin to find the body position needed to activate the muscles I seek to strengthen.

I recently sat in on a workshop with Sara Meeks, who shared a little trick that I found very useful. She provided wooden dowels, ideally about 4-5 feet long, and we aligned them along the backbone. We placed one end just below the sacrum and another at the back of the head, with the dowel also touching somewhere between the shoulder blades. Holding the dowels gently in position as we bent the knees and hinged forward at the hips, we kept the dowel connected to those three points to encourage the spine to lengthen. It was an “ah ha” moment for many participants who didn’t realize just how round their spines are! Working with keeping the three points along the dowel, they found the movement that will build strength in their spine.

Note that the IY class seeks an experience of peace that isn’t necessitated by a flat back. With so many students complaining of back pain or even difficulty sitting upright for meditation for long periods of time, this can be a useful tool in helping them to develop the physical body’s support system that could bring them even deeper into their inward reflections.

So, whether we are bowing as an event within our sun salutations, honoring the divine at other times or just looking for a way out of the mental madness, bringing gratitude to our practice physically or energetically can be a way to experience another aspect of Yoga. May we all find the richness that we have been given!

OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.

Naturopathy and EnlightenmentFrom Apostle of Peace: The Biography of Sri Swami Satchidananda

[Editor’s note: This excerpt from Gurudev’s biography takes us to a time before he became a swami. As a young sadhu, he was called Sambasivam. The quotes in bold are the words of Sri Gurudev.]

Tapas means to symbolically burn your attachments, your mind, your intellect in order to clear them, purify them. Just as you burn dirt to convert it into pure ash, all the impurities are burnt pure in the practice of tapas. It is austerity, the acceptance of hardship and pain. The highest form of tapas is to serve others while accepting pain for yourself.

Nature treatment or naturopathy encompasses various methods by which illnesses can be cured without resorting to artificial techniques, medicines, or injections. Toxins are drawn out of the body by the application of wet packs and mud packs. Disease is curtailed through the use of sulphur and other curative baths. Healing is effected by exposure to the sun’s rays, by making use of the curative and rejuvenating effects of water and air, by proper baths (spinal bath, hip bath and so on) and various breathing techniques. There are also tonics made from herbs, which are used for rebuilding strength.

Sri Bikshu Swamigal had served as a doctor, specializing in these naturopathic cures before he took the vows of monkhood. After renouncing, he set up nature cure camps, which he operated out of Saraswati Sangam in Madras. One of these camps was arranged in a small village near Coimbatore, and Sambasivam [the name by which Sri Gurudev was known as a young sadhu, before he became a swami] joined it to learn this healing science. The Swami soon recognized Sambasivam’s natural aptitude for this service, and he appointed the brahmachari as his assistant. The people soon began to call Sambasivam “chinna swami” (junior swami).

Certain areas of India had no doctors within a twenty mile radius. It was to these places that the nature cure camp brought its tents and equipment. When Sri Bikshu Swamigal and his disciples had performed as much service as they could in one area, they broke camp and moved to an equally deserving location, cleaning up the effects of dysentery epidemics, washing patients, nursing entire villages. It was usually the high caste people, the elite of the village, who asked Bikshu Swamigal, Sambasivam and the others to start a camp. Still, the naturopaths would give medication to everyone equally. The untouchables were also given the healing treatments, but there was a restriction. Because of the caste rules, the healers must never touch one of these casteless people.

Everyone had the greatest faith in Sri Bikshu Swamigal and his disciples. If a person came for a little mud pack while one of the doctors was treating someone else, he or she would

wait to receive the mud personally from the hands of the healer. Perhaps the doctor would be so busy that he would say, “Go ahead. There is the mud. Take what you need.”

The waiting patient would reply, “Oh no, please. I don’t want to take it myself. Will you please give it to me? Unless you touch it, it won’t work.” They had that kind of sincere faith, and it worked.

One day a large cart rolled up to the camp. Many people surrounded the creaking wagon. Lying inside upon a bed of hay was a huge man. His eyes were rolled up in his head so that he almost appeared to be a corpse. His belly was fully distended, blown up like a giant balloon.

His family members and a group of sadhus removed the man from the cart and, with much difficulty, placed him on the ground. Quickly Sambasivam checked his pulse. It was nearly nonexistent.

“Are there any facts about this man I should know?” he asked the family. They told him the man had not moved his bowels for five days. Immediately, an enema was prepared, but the water was blocked and unable to enter the bowels. It splashed down his legs and soaked into the earth.

Sambasivam rolled up his sleeves. Using his hand, he began to withdraw ball after ball of blackened, stonelike fecal matter. After this was repeated perhaps twelve times, a great eruption of foul-smelling liquid and matter gushed from the patient’s body and sprayed the entire area, including everyone in the immediate vicinity.

Sambasivam remained by the man’s side. Within fifteen minutes the patient’s pulse had returned to normal and he opened his mouth. In a weak voice, he requested a glass of water. He received it along with a strength-building tonic. An hour later, the man was again loaded into the cart and driven home by his jubilant relatives. Sambasivam walked quickly to the well for a long-awaited bath.

At another village camp Sambasivam treated a young untouchable girl. One of her eyes was swollen and festering, and he tended the ailment until it was completely cured.

The various caste people of the village heard of this and were incensed. At a hastily organized meeting they decided they could no longer tolerate the presence of a group of sadhus who flouted caste rules. They came to the camp as a group and shouted, “You dare to touch those people and then touch us! You dare to treat us as equal to them! Either vacate this camp or we’ll set fire to it and drive you out!”


Sambasivam tried to reason with the mob, but they refused to listen. Finally, he told them, “You can do anything you want, but we’re not going to close the camp.”

“All right. You’ll see what we do tonight. We’ll be back.”

After they had left, the other sadhus became quite frightened. They approached Sambasivam with the idea of acquiescing to the group’s wishes and closing the camp.

He told them “Don’t worry. I’ll think of something. Just remain calm.” There were many times when he had pondered the inequities of the caste system; many times he had seen its gross imbalance. As a child, his protest had been to ignore caste rules, but now it was time to actively do something about incidents such as these. He walked to the untouchable colony and met with its elders.

“Do you remember when I treated the child for the eye ailment?” he asked.

“Yes, but she’s fine now. Did you come to treat her again?”

“No. I came to tell you something. The caste people have said our camp made a mistake in treating the child. They said we shouldn’t have done it. Now they want us to close the camp or they’ll set fire to it. They have threatened our lives.”

“What? You have saved our lives and now there’s a danger to your own.” They became upset and angered by the injustice.

Sambasivam continued, “The high caste people sit at home, enjoying the fruits of your toil. Day and night, rain or sun, you people go out and bring in the crops for them. Their enjoyment stems from your work. Yet they don’t want you to have the simple enjoyments of health and happiness. Such things should not continue. You should put an end to such foolishness.”

“Please guide us. Tell us what to do. We are ready to do whatever you suggest.”

“Are you ready to stop them from harming the camp tonight?”

“We are ready to give our lives if need be. In half an hour, we’ll be at the camp to make sure nothing happens.”

Thirty minutes later, a large group of young people from the untouchable community had stationed themselves on the road bordering the camp. They carried large bamboo sticks.

Within fifteen minutes a small group of caste people approached. They bore burning torches, which smoked in the night. “You didn’t vacate. We are going to burn the camp!” they shouted as they advanced.

The untouchables stepped forward, blocking their way. The high castes were shocked to see this large mass of their own workmen.

“What is this? Why are you here?”

“We have come to protect the camp from danger. If you harm them we’ll burn all your homes to the ground. If you don’t care for our happiness, if you can’t tolerate the treatment of our children, we’ll no longer work for your happiness.”

The caste people were nervous and confused. They were greatly outnumbered. They called to Sambasivam, “Look at the hatred you have brought between our groups.”

“I did not bring this hatred,” he replied. You are treating these workers as enemies. If you don’t wish to help them, hatred will result. This situation is abominable. You shouldn’t let it continue. You are all children of God. Why should you let the nature of your births divide you? If not for their labor, you couldn’t enjoy life in such a fashion. They are your limbs. You are their brain and their stomach.



You should enjoy a give-and-take policy. Think of their welfare and live as a community.”

The would-be attackers stamped out their torches. The untouchables lowered their sticks. The camp stayed on for many weeks, serving the needs of all people equally.

Sri Bikshu Swamigal was a good friend to Sri Swami Rajeshwarananda, the great exponent of the adwaita (non-dualistic) philosophy, and Dr. T.M.P. Mahadevan, the great philosopher. Sambasivam soon became close to them also and frequently visited the ashram called Upanishad Vihar, which Rajeswaranandaji and Dr. Mahadevan had built at the holy place called Kalahasti. Sambasivam loved the beautiful, secluded surroundings and the ancient hill temple to Lord Siva. The banks of the river Ponmugali (“Gold-Filled”) were right next to the ashram. He had been working with Sri Bikshu Swamigal for several years, and now Sambasivam decided to stay at Upanishad Vihar for a while. Though Rajeswaranandaji and Dr. Mahadevan traveled frequently, Sambasivam stayed there and took care of the ashram. With these two great philosophers and their disciples, Sambasivam enjoyed many hours of satsangs and discussions about the adwaita philosophy.

Dr. Mahadevan and Swami Rajeshwaranandaji intro–duced Sambasivam to Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, and the brahmachari was inspired to spend some time at Ramanashram.

By the proper practice of pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) the senses become fully under your control. They become obedient horses, taking you wherever you want. You become a complete master over them.

The great sage Ramana Maharshi was born in 1879 in South India. At the age of seventeen he had an experience that changed his life. One day he was overcome with a violent fear of death and began to contemplate the source of this fear. Within the same day, this self-inquiry brought him to the experience of Enlightenment. When he got this knowledge directly he was able to experience the Self as different from the body. He never went to any teacher to learn this. He got it directly.

Sambasivam felt blessed to be able to sit at the feet of this jivanmukta (living liberated being). To ask the Master a question was to receive a lesson in the thinking of a true Jnana Yogi.

During the time that Sambasivam was staying at this ashram, Sri Ramana’s body was suffering from cancer, but the sage obviously was not disturbed by the ravages of the disease. It was not so easy for the disciples to transcend that bodily consciousness, however, and they were greatly pained to watch his body’s physical deterioration.

When he saw the sad faces around him, Sir Ramana would say, “What kind of Yoga is this? Where is your proper understanding? The body is simply undergoing its karma. Why do you worry?”

Sambasivam was among those who witnessed the operation that was performed on Sri Ramana’s arm. The master was not interested in having the operation, but at the insistence of his close disciples he finally agreed. Still, he refused anesthesia. As the doctor operated, Sir Ramana watched and spoke to his arm as if it belonged to someone else: “Poor arm, is the operation hurting you? Well, just undergo whatever is necessary. I don’t know what the karma was that makes you have to suffer. I told them not to do this to you, but they insisted on it. The best thing is just to accept it.”

At that time Sambasivam found all this too difficult to watch. His heart went out so much to the sage’s bodily suffering. As the cancer spread through that body, Sambasivam finally approached Sri Ramana, “Please, I beg you, Sir, to give me leave to travel on.”

“Why? Are you still attached to the body?”

No. I’m not attached to my body, but maybe I’m attached to your body. I find it hard to face this situation. I don’t really feel comfortable in staying and watching the whole thing.”

Sri Ramana understood. He raised his hand in blessing, and Sambasivam continued his journey. Fourteen days later, on the day he reached Rishikesh, Sambasivam heard that Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi had left his body. On that day many people saw a beautiful bright star flash across the sky.

The light is always within you but it is up to you to make use of it. Keep the light always in front of you. Follow it always. If you keep that light constantly in front of you to lead your way, you will always be the Master.

There is a cave in Tiruvannamalai known as Virupaksha Cave. In it, Sambasivam meditated. He felt a huge, dark cloud forming within him. Its gray mass expanded until he was completely surrounded in its smoke. Slowly it rose over his head like a mushroom cloud after an atomic explosion. It rose higher and higher until it finally drifted away.

When the density had passed, a feeling of lightness and joy remained within Sambasivam. A brilliant light surrounded him like a globe. He was bathed in its warmth. Gradually, it condensed, becoming smaller and more concentrated. It became a tiny spark and entered the crown of his head. He fell into a deep trance that lasted two hours. When body consciousness retuned he felt the absence of all unholy, karmic vibrations within. A new vibration, filled with light, had taken their place.

For more stories from Sri Gurudev’s life, including the story of how the Integral Yoga Institutes came to be, read Apostle of Peace: The Biography of Sri Swami Satchidananda.


A New Benefit For IYTA MembersWe hope you know that we at the IYTA are always hard at work for you.

ORGANICLAD LLC is now offering a 35% discount to IYTA Members for classic family ecofashions from fibers grown and processed without harm to the soil, water, or workers using cotton, hemp, and bamboo.

Specific yoga-friendly items—for health and comfort, chosen respecting fair trade, fair labor—in many beautiful colors include tanks, t-shirts, capris, and warm-up sweaters and jackets. Full guarantee and unfailing customer service. See the frequently changing inventory at www.organiclad.com and request what you don’t see at [email protected].

ORGANICLAD is very honored to be associated with IYTA.

Love and light,

Frances Ellen Worrell, Owner.

To access this benefit, you must visit www.organiclad.com and:

• Sign in• Create profile• Shop! (“add items to cart”)• Go to “Check Out”

Once you have established your Organiclad account profile, you will only need to log in and shop as a return customer, using the updated monthly discount code.

Lakshmi is brewing up yet another cost-saving offer that we’ll announce later this year. Remember: If there is a benefit you’d like us to research, don’t hesitate to make the request. We’ll continue to do our best.

Enjoy!

OM, Love and Light,

Lakshmi & Marien

Recently, we added a clothing discount with Swadeshi Clothing that many of you used quite quickly! Reports from Swadeshi indicate that this is a popular benefit.

Keeping that in mind, we’ve recently partnered with another company to bring you even more discounts. We are pleased to announce that, effective immediately, we have another cost-saving benefit to add: Discounts for Organiclad clothing and accessories purchased on-line!

That’s right: IYTA Members can now receive a 35% discount off the Internet suggested retail price at Organiclad.com!

To access this discount, you will have to create an account with Organiclad (similar to what you do with Swadeshi). Each month, the discount code will change. We’ll provide each change in our email forum posts, and you will be able to enjoy this discount as long as your IYTA membership is active.

Here’s a product description thoughtfully provided by Organiclad:

a

Penetrate the heart of just one drop of water, and you will be flooded by a

hundred oceans.

—-Mahmûd ShabistarîThe Mystic Rose Garden

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If you dedicate yourself to service, the doors will open.

—Pir Vilayat Inayat KhanAlchemical Wisdom

a

Share Your Use of Therapeutic Yoga

Our New Membership Coordinator – Andrew Godreau

Though we miss Marien, we are delighted to welcome Andrew Godreau as our new Membership Coordinator.

Andrew first discovered Integral Yoga thanks to his girlfriend, Bianca, who introduced him to the IYI in New York.

Interestingly, Andrew didn’t know about the Ashram when he attended college at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville to focus on his major, Religious Studies. After school, he returned to New York and, finally found Yogaville in 2006, when he took part in the LYT (Living Yoga Training) program.

We’re so happy that Andrew has returned to the Ashram and has taken on this vital position in the IYTA. We’re all going to benefit from his bright presence and his wonderful service.

Welcome, Andrew!


As you may know, the IYTA and the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) formed a partnership a few years ago. The IAYT recognizes the depth of applications that Integral Yoga teachers are employing in the emerging field of Yoga Therapy. In case you are not a member of IAYT but are involved in Yoga Therapy, you may have missed the call for abstracts.

If you are using Integral Yoga therapeutically, please consider sharing your work with the participants at the 3rd annual Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR). The folks organizing SYTAR are accepting proposals for workshops until 1 December. Swami Satchidananda inspired many of us to do great work in healing. If you would like to let others know how you are using Integral Yoga (or any style) therapeutically, take a look at the Call & respond directly to them.

You can find more details at www.sytar.org. The basics (from an IAYT eBlast) follow:

We are pleased to present the program for the Third Annual IAYT Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research. With the support of many dedicated individuals and organizations, this year’s program presents an extraordinary breadth and depth

of sessions that illustrate exemplary practices, showcase important new research, provide integrated theory and practice sessions and present leading examples of the business of Yoga therapy. In addition...

We invite your paper or presentation for the new Common Interest Community Workshops OR our traditional Call for Research Abstracts. This is part of our growing effort to present effective and innovative work by our members while creating professional communities surrounding common interests. Authors of accepted papers and presentations will receive reduced registration fees of $395. To further encourage submission, even non-accepted papers will qualify for an early bird registration discount. All submissions due December 1, 2008.

We have made the entire event even more affordable by including the Thursday afternoon workshops as part of basic registration.

It would fill my heart to see Integral Yoga well represented at this symposium. Sri Gurudev was a pioneer in this field, and there is so much that so many could gain from that wisdom!

Lakshmi Sutter

Yoga & Emotional Regulation

December 4-7, 2008

Richard Panico, M.D. & Rev. Manjula Spears

Yoga is a holistic system of health that brings the body, mind and spirit into harmony. It has the ability to modulate biological systems and can be employed to teach skills of emotional regulation so that there is improvement in functional domains related to cognition, affect, mood, attention, arousal and interpersonal competency.

The intention of this workshop is to review and bridge western scientific and Yoga-based theory of emotional regulation. We will employ a predominately Yoga-based experiential framework and link it to didactic modules specific to emotional regulation. Our goal is to give Yoga teachers and therapists a theoretical framework that is both scientifically accurate and imminently practical to them in terms of taking home simple usable skills and a language applicable to approaching biomedical venues. Yoga therapists will receive an example of a straightforward Yoga practice designed to teach Yoga-based skills for emotional regulation to a general medical population.

Approximate VNA CNE Hours : 22 Yoga Alliance Hours : 22 RYT 500

New Years Silent Retreat:The Bliss of Silence

Dec 31, 2008-Jan 4, 2009

Presented by senior teachers, with Swami Gurucharanananda [Mataji] as Spiritual Director

During your stay, your journey within will be supported on all levels through the opportunity to experience a full spectrum of Yoga practices - Hatha Yoga, yogic breathing [pranayama], deep relaxation, meditation, yogic diet (delicious, nutritious vegetarian meals) - all in our beautiful, natural environment and enhanced in the bliss of silence.

Upcoming Continuing Education Opportunities


Swami Gurucharanananda & senior teachersDecember 31–January 4, 2009

Swami Asokananda & Ram WienerJanuary 31–February 6, 2009

Mala Cunningham, Ph.D.February 20–22, 2009

Boris Bhagavan Pisman, M.S.,N.C.C.February 27–March 1, 2009

Bharata WinghamMarch 6–8, 2009

Swami Asokananda and Aramati HulbertMarch 7–21, 2009

INTEGRAL YOGA SENIOR SPEAKERS’ SChEdULESPlease contact local representatives for times, costs, pre-enrollment requirements, schedule changes, etc.


Swami Asokananda Nov 30 – Dec 3 Milan, Italy programs Contact: Parvati 011-3- 025-501-6558 011-39-347-415-5040

Dec 4 – Dec 7 Chennai, India

Dec 7 – Dec 23 Coimbatore, India Contact:

Teacher Training 011-91-422-255-6770

Dec 23–Jan 8, 2009 Milan, Italy Contact: Parvati Intermediate Teacher Training Retreat 011-3- 025-501-6558 011-39-347-415-5040

Jan 8 – Jan 28 Portugal Contact: Intermediate Teacher Training 351-289-393-741

Swami Ramananda

Now through Dec 13 Intermediate Teacher Training New York IYI 202-929-0586 www.iyiny.org

Jan 15 – Feb15 Mexico Basic Teacher Training Contact: Yogaville Ashram Reservation Center 434-969-3121, ext 111 800-858-YOGA (9642)

Swami Karunananda

February 8–13 St. Petersburg, FL Haris Lender 727-822-6192 [email protected]

UPCOMING PROGRAMS AT YOGAVILLE


december 2008

Dec. 4-7 Yoga and Emotional Regulation Richard Panico, M.D. & Rev. Manjula Spears

Dec. 5-7 Inner Bliss, Outer Beauty: Cultivating Natural Beauty Through Ancient Yoga Techniques and Modern Technologies

Dec. 6 FREE Workshop: Introduction To Yoga

Dec. 31-Jan. 4, 2009 New Year’s Silent Retreat: The Bliss of Silence

January 2009

Jan 10 FREE Workshop: Introduction To Laughter Yoga with Bharata Wingham

Jan 16-18 Basic Meditation: Meditation is the Key to Everything with Reverends Paraman & Lakshmi Barsel

Jan 17-Feb 14 Integral Yoga Teacher Certification Training: Basic Hatha Yoga Winter Session 2009 in Mexico

Jan 23-25 Breath = Life: Pranayama Workshop with Bhaktan Eberle

Jan 30 -Feb 1 Overcoming Addictions Through Yoga with Bhavani Kludt

Jan 31-Feb 6 Yoga Vacation in Puerto Rico with Swami Asokananda & Ram Wiener

February 2009

Feb 6-8 Alignment of Body, Mind and Soul with Dhivya Berthoud

Feb 13-15 Sweetheart Yoga: The Amazing Potential of Couple Relationships with Nina Priya David

Feb 6-8 Medical Yoga for Sleep Enhancement with M. Mala Cunningham, Ph.D.


Integral Yoga® Teachers Association108 Yogaville WayBuckingham, VA 23921

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

U.S. PostagePAID

Permit No. 3Nonprofit

OrganizationBuckingham,

VA 23921

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